Rolling mill feed table



y 9, 1940. w. NEWBY r AL 2,207,302

ROLLING MILL FEED TABLE Filed Aug. 2 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "I I J l I AaoA Eff-a l'er- W/ ///fam Newb F July 9, 1940. w. NEWBY ET AL ROLLINGMILL FEED TABLE Filed Aug. 2, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 9,1940 UNITE s'rA-TEs ROLLING MILL FEED TABLE William Newby, Youngstown,and Adolph F. Frazier, Niles, Ohio Application August 2, 1939, SerialNo' 287,946

In Canada May 6, 1939 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a feed table for a cold rolling mill.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of an adjustablefeed table for a cold rolling mill wherein the various portions of thedevice are power driven and adjustable as to the Width of the sheetsbeing passed through the rolling mill and provided with means foraligning the sheets and efficiently feeding them into the rolling mill.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an adjustablefeedtable for a cold rolling mill wherein the adjustable sections of thedevice are so positioned and actuated that a sheet placed thereon willbe, regardless of its width, fed into the rolling mill always with itscenter line in direct alignment with the center line of the rolling millitself.

The adjustable feed table shown and described herein has been designedtofeed steel sheets into a rolling mill more speedily and moreaccurately than has heretofore been possible utilizing the means knownto the art. lin rolling steel sheets of thin gauge, it is highlyimportant that each individual sheet be properly aligned and carefullyfed into the rolling mill in order that the" corners and edges of thesheet do not become turned under or bent in any manner.

The adjustable feed table shown and described herein has, therefore,been provided with a plurality of revolving tapered flanged guideportions so thats steel sheet positioned on the feed table will becarried forward toward the mill and the same properly aligned orstraightened beforeentering the mill by means of these guide portions.

In order that the feed table may be adjusted for handling various widthsof sheets, the revolving guide portions and the conveyer sections of thetable have been adjustably mounted so that the entire feed table may beconveniently adjusted at any time as to width, thus making it possibleaccurately than has heretofore been possible.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the-invention herein disclosed, can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the adjustable feed table showing itpositioned on an elevated floor area immediately in front of a coldrolling mill.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the adjustable feed table showing thevarious parts of the device, some being in cross section as indicated bythe section lines on Figure 1.

B-y referring to the drawings and Figure l in particular, it will beseen that the adjustable feed table comprises a rectangular frame 5prefcrab-1y formed of metal of appropriate size and strength; the upperhorizontal portions 2 of the frame I are providedwith a pliualityof'oppositely disposed journals 3 through which are passed a pluralityof revolvable shafts l; Positioned on each of these revolvable shafts 3there are a plurality of pulleys, preferably four in number, the centerpair 5 being fixed as to location on the said revolvable shafts 4 andthe outer pair being movably positioned on the revolvable shafts 4 andprovided on their outermost sides with annular taperedflanges l.Positioned over the plurality of pulleys 5 and 6 there are suitableconveyer belts 8 upon which the sheet is placed and which servestoadvance'the sheet forward toward the rolling mill. It will be seen thatthe annular tapered flanges l' on the outer most sides of the pulieys Bwill effectively and without harm straighten the sheet as it advancesforward on the conveyer belts 8 as a sheet placed carelessly on the feedtable will slide down between the tapered flanges l and align itself asit moves forward.

In order that the feed table may be adjusted so as to handle variouswidths of sheets, the flanged pulleys 6 have been movably positioned onthe revolvable shafts 4 and are held in correct position by means ofsecondary horizontal frame members 9. These secondary horizontal framemembers 9 are provided with fingers Ill adapted to engageannular'grooves ll formed on pulleys 6. In order that the horizontalframes 9 and the pulleys 6 may be moved sidewardly, a pair of adjustingscrews [2 have been positioned be-- tween and extending through thehorizontal top' these horizontal frames'9 and the pulleys 6 sidesaidassemblies will move in opposite directions thus effectively widening ornarrowing the straightening and guiding area of the feed table so thatvarious widths of sheets may be handled thereby. It will be seen thatthe horizontal frames 9, together with the pulleys 6 which are movedthereby, will when moved by reason of the adjusting screws [2 beingrotated maintain their respective distances from a center line of thesaid feed table so that sheets positioned thereon will, regardless oftheir width, be fed to the rolling mill with their center lines in exactalignment with the center line of the feed table and the rolling mill.Positioned at one side of the frame I and geared to ends of theadjustable screws l2, there is an actuating shaft I4 which is providedso that adjustment as to width may be made by simply rotating thisactuating shaft I4. Positioned at the forward end of the feed table andformed as a part thereof, there is a secondary feed table considerablysmaller in area than the primary portion and in an inclined position sothat sheets traveling across it move slightly downwardly and into therolling mill. This portion of the feed table is not adjustable as towidth but otherwise is similar in construction to the adjustablesection, with the exception that there are no tapered flanges providedon any of the rotatable pulleys thereof. The sheets having been alreadystraightened and moved forward on the table, they will pass across thissmall section satisfactorily without additional guide means of any kind.This secondary portion of the adjustable feed table comprises arectangular frame I5 positioned at an angle to the frame I and carries apair of rotatable shafts I6 each of which in turn carries a plurality ofpulleys I! which are adapted to receive conveyer belts. At the extremeforward end, the rectangular frame I5 is provided with a plurality ofslide bars l8 over which the sheet passes immediately prior to enteringthe rolling mill proper. In order that all these various rotatable partsmay be suitably driven it will be seen that provisions for driving thevarious rotatable shafts are provided in the form of sprockets l9 uponthe rotatable shafts and chains engaging the sprockets I9 and that amotor 2|, and reducer may be positioned in the frame l and suitablyconnected to one of the rotatable shafts 4 so that the entire assemblyis operatable. It will be obvious that if desirable the feed table maybe driven from the power source of the rolling mill itself. It will alsobe seen that means 22 has been provided for tightening the variousconveyer belts utilized in this adjustable feed table and may compriseany suitable structure known to the art.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with a sheet feeding table for a rolling mill whereinconveyer belts are trained over pulleys for advancing a sheet toward therolling mill, and guide means for straightening the said sheets as theyadvance toward the rolling mill, the said guide means comprising aplurality of oppositely disposed tapered pulleys associated with thesaid conveying means, the said flanges adapted to receive the sheettherebetween and suitably guide the said sheet and straighten the samein relation to the said conveyer and rolling mill as the same isadvanced toward the rolling mill.

2. In combination with a sheet feeding table for a rolling mill whereinconveyer means advance a sheet toward the rolling mill, and guide meansfor straightening the said sheets on the said conveyer means comprisinga plurality of wheel-like flanges formed with oppositely disposed tapersadapted to receive the sheet therebetween and straighten the same inrelation to the said conveyer means and rolling mill as the said sheetsettles onto the conveyer means between the said tapering flanges.

3. In combination with a sheet feeding table for a rolling mill whereinconveyer means advance a sheet toward the rolling mill, and guide meansfor straightening the said sheets on the said conveyer means comprisinga plurality of revolvable flanged pulleys adjacent the sides of the saidconveyer means, the flanges of which are formed with oppositely disposedtapers so as to receive a sheet therebetween and straighten the same inrelation to the said conveyer means and rolling mill as the said sheetmoves along the said conveyer means between the said tapered flanges,together with means for varying the position of the flanged pulleys inrelation to the width of the sheet conveying space therebetween.

4. The combination with a rolling mill for rolling relatively thinsheets, of a conveyer table adjacent said mill for feeding thereto thesheets to be rolled, said conveyer provided along its sides withrevolvable inwardly sloping guide portions so that a sheet positionedtherebetween will be straightened through the sheets natural inclinationto settle to the surface of the conveyer between the said revolvableinwardly sloping guide portions.

5. In combination with a sheet feeding table for a rolling mill whereinconveyer means comprising a plurality of shafts arranged transversely ofthe said table carry a plurality of belts trained thereover foradvancing a sheet toward the rolling mill, said conveyer provided alongits sides with revolvable oppositely sloping guide portions adapted toreceive a sheet therebetween and straighten the same through theengagement of one or more of its edges with and between the saidrevolvable oppositely sloping guide portions as the sheet slides downthe same and settles onto the conveyer means, together with mechanicalmeans for adjusting the said revolvable oppositely sloping guideportions longitudinally relative to said shafts so as to vary theeffective sheet straightening and conveying width of the said sheetfeeding table.

6. Sheet feeding mechanism including an endless conveyer havingrevolvable inwardly sloping guide portions oppositely disposed along itssides adapted to receive sheets, straighten them and feed them to a pairof rolls, and mechanical means for adjusting the said revolvableinwardly sloping guide portions sideward in relation to the said endlessconveyer and comprising a pair of movable frame members each of whichengage reverse screw portions of adjustment shafts transverselypositioned in the said sheet feeding mechanism so as to inducesimultaneous movement of the said revolvable guide portions toward theirrespective sides of the said sheet feeding mechanism and vary theeffective sheet conveying and straightening width of the said mechanism.

WILLIAM NEWBY. ADOLPI-I F. FRAZIER.

